In meeting these young people I was reminded of the importance of a love for children and a love for learning. These faith-filled young men and women will determine the shape of Catholic education in the future. They were encouraged to engage in their parish community, to engage in prayer, social justice and formal study in religious education.
The CSO team look forward to walking the journey with these young people, encouraging them, mentoring them and preparing them to take up a teaching position in our Catholic schools. Please keep them in your prayers as they embark on the vocation and ministry of educating for faith, excellence in learning and truth.
On Tuesday evening I attended my first Called to Serve Mass which saw staff from our diocesan schools and the Catholic Schools Office come together to celebrate the New Year and to commit to Catholic Ministry and leadership. Together we prayed for our Maitland- Newcastle school communities, acknowledged those who have served Catholic Education for 25 years and also presented the Monsignor Coolahan Awards to a number of people who have excelled in a particular field of education.
We congratulate the following recipients of these Monsignor Coolahan awards. In the category of:
School Support
Frances Bowen St Pius X Adamstown
Lynette McMaster St Pat’s Swansea
Deb Docherty Holy Family, Merewether Beach and St Francis Xavier’s Hamilton
Mark Stephens San Clemente
Excellence in the First Five Years of Teaching
Cassandra Piggott St Joseph’s Denman
Excellence in Teaching – Primary
Alison Smith Holy Cross Glendale & St Peter’s Stockton
Excellence in Teaching – Secondary
David Millen St Pius X High School, Adamstown
Innovation
Diane Kibble St Francis Xavier’s Hamilton
Community
St Joseph’s Denman
Leadership
Simon Devlin
I wish to thank all those people who have assisted in any way with the preparation of these special events. They don’t just happen and your hard work is certainly appreciated.
